Ameobi is very much the man for Europe for the Magpies too, having scored 12 times in continental competition throughout his career in black and white – only Alan Shearer (30) has more.

Pardew told the Chronicle today: “I think he’s very important, not just on what he showed last year.

“And he will play a bigger role than last year for sure.

“He came on at Everton and looked terrific. He will definitely start.”

Pardew is also expected to start with Gabriel Obertan tonight and feels that while the squad’s lack of depth has been well documented, he isn’t concerned about the situation.

He said: “They’re not youngsters, some of these players. They should be playing in the first team. They probably would be at Championship level, or maybe lower Premier League. Our team is tough to get into.

“This competition, and the Capital One Cup, will give opportunities to players to show that they’re good enough.

“We’ve got to show faith in them, and that’s what I’m going to do.

“Regardless what the Press or anybody else thinks, I’ve got to go with what I see on the training ground, and I think they’re good enough.”

Pardew says that he has yet to decide whether to give Geordie teenager Adam Campbell a chance tonight, but he is delighted with his progress.

He said: “He’s a lovely kid. Obviously, we’re trying to shelter him a little bit from the glare of publicity and just let him develop. If we can do that, we’ve got a chance with him.